Parker

[LeonardCohen]

One of the things that's so frustrating about our edge defence is how passive it is. The first Broncos try from the Walsh kick saw our edge move up slightly before stopping and watching. Literally, Parker was right there standing in front of Walsh and could have moved up and tackled him, but was afraid to pull the trigger and so just stood there limp. Make a decision and make it together. The ball will reach the outside anyway (in this case off a kick), so you might as well try and genuinely stop it. If the opposition succeed, fair play.

And then on the other edge you've got Saab running in front of the his centre to shut the play down. If you have to run in front of your own teammate, it means he is there to make the tackle so you do not need to hit in. You only hit in when it's two on one.

 

[BOZO]

I like Parker, I really do. And he is a good tackler, one on one, provided he can get close enough to his opposite number. The problem is, he just doesn't have the speed to get near anyone these days. Anyone with a bit of pace - and most teams have players in their backline with a bit of pace - will simply run around him. When our defence is back-pedalling - as it almost always is - he looks even worse. He knows where he should be, but he just can't get there.

You summed it up Perfectly . Your Parker Perception is Precise

Parker is hampered by lack of dynamic speed and agility

And this is a Liability when you compete against more dynamic players

The longer we settle for Parker players the longer it will take us to have Premiership winning success

Our Legendary Premiership Winning Godfather left no stone unturned to keep replacing inferior players with superior players to make Manly the Superior club of all

The moral of the story is this
The team which posses the most Superior Speed , Strength and Skill across the Park Will Farrrk the opposition


The Benchmark of Premiership Winning Success . Anything less and you miss the mark

 

[Bearfax]

He gets belted running the ball into traffic (something he would do a lot of in the middle of the field), has suspect hands (he will touch the ball more in the middle third; no thanks) and his primary strength with the ball involves running lines (something you do more on the edges where there is space). Basically his game is the antithesis of playing lock.

I would suggest lock is usually someone who does run wide, Coote, Lindner, Clyde, Price, Reilly. They were each mobile forwards, good defenders, often played extra man in the back line, not so much involved in the heavy duty stuff with the grunts. Each had a reasonable amount of speed and ran direct. Sounds like Parker to me. He's too slow as a centre as were those payers mentioned, but in the forwards they were the more mobile players and often were seen wide of the centre. Even Menzies often played lock and where did he prowl? Outside Lions often

 

[LeonardCohen]

I would suggest lock is usually someone who does run wide, Coote, Lindner, Clyde, Price, Reilly. They were each mobile forwards, good defenders, often played extra man in the back line, not so much involved in the heavy duty stuff with the grunts. Each had a reasonable amount of speed and ran direct. Sounds like Parker to me. He's too slow as a centre as were those payers mentioned, but in the forwards they were the more mobile players and often were seen wide of the centre. Even Menzies often played lock and where did he prowl? Outside Lions often

With all due respect, locks haven’t run wide in 20 years. There’s no one in the NRL as we speak that plays on an edge. Watch Murray, Yeo, Radley and what they do in the middle and imagine Parker trying to do it…it ain’t happening

 

[Under the Sticks]

I would suggest lock is usually someone who does run wide, Coote, Lindner, Clyde, Price, Reilly. They were each mobile forwards, good defenders, often played extra man in the back line, not so much involved in the heavy duty stuff with the grunts. Each had a reasonable amount of speed and ran direct. Sounds like Parker to me. He's too slow as a centre as were those payers mentioned, but in the forwards they were the more mobile players and often were seen wide of the centre. Even Menzies often played lock and where did he prowl? Outside Lions often

Hey Bear or we talking Lyon or Lyons here (not lions) he played with both.

 

[Bearfax]

With all due respect, locks haven’t run wide in 20 years. There’s no one in the NRL as we speak that plays on an edge. Watch Murray, Yeo, Radley and what they do in the middle and imagine Parker trying to do it…it ain’t happening

Really. What was Menzies doing in the back line then? Just because some locks play in tight doesnt mean others dont. That's why props tend to get time out because they are in the middle facing the heavy stuff. Olakau'atu is hardly playing in the middle. In fact his tackle count is often quite low, because he is required to be ready out wide for several of their plays.. He's often out near the back line. How else does he score off DCE's kicks

 

[Bearfax]

Hey Bear or we talking Lyon or Lyons here (not lions) he played with both.

Sorry. Lyons. Yet another typing faux pas. Make a lot of them these days ... or is that daze.

 

[KaZa]

This good defender is a bit of a myth. He misses tackles... worst of all he can't read the play.. and gets burnt on the outside causing overlap.

 

[LeonardCohen]

Really. What was Menzies doing in the back line then? Just because some locks play in tight doesnt mean others dont. That's why props tend to get time out because they are in the middle facing the heavy stuff. Olakau'atu is hardly playing in the middle. In fact his tackle count is often quite low, because he is required to be ready out wide for several of their plays.. He's often out near the back line. How else does he score off DCE's kicks

I don’t mean to be rude but if you haven’t worked out that 13 is no longer an edge position in the modern game, and nothing like playing second row, this conversation is futile. It’s not a case of ‘some’ playing in the middle, literally all 17 teams play their lock smack bang in the middle of the field and have for years. It started with Gallen and 13 was an extra prop, then they started ball playing from that middle position to connect with the halves on either side.

If you mean Parker to 2nd row on an edge than that’s understandable but 13 is not an edge position anymore, hence my initial confusion with the idea you floated.

 

[Thewestisbest]

Really. What was Menzies doing in the back line then? Just because some locks play in tight doesnt mean others dont. That's why props tend to get time out because they are in the middle facing the heavy stuff. Olakau'atu is hardly playing in the middle. In fact his tackle count is often quite low, because he is required to be ready out wide for several of their plays.. He's often out near the back line. How else does he score off DCE's kicks

Sorry mate, you're stuck in a time warp with your Parker to lock suggestion. Maybe he might have been able to play in the 13'if he played in the nineties or early 2000's. IMO his best role in the current squad is a backup edge forward.

 

[Scorpio]

Glenn Stewart was always listed as a lock after 2007 but he was really a right edge back-rower... Watmough was really the lock.

Either way I don't see Parker playing there.

 

[joeboy]

Menzies never played in the middle, always played wide, he was a pioneer in this regard.

He may have played middle off the interchange in His last two years, but certainly not when cliffy was playing

No locks play wide at all and haven’t for 20 odd years

Really. What was Menzies doing in the back line then? Just because some locks play in tight doesnt mean others dont. That's why props tend to get time out because they are in the middle facing the heavy stuff. Olakau'atu is hardly playing in the middle. In fact his tackle count is often quite low, because he is required to be ready out wide for several of their plays.. He's often out near the back line. How else does he score off DCE's kicks

 

[Brooke]

Too slow..can't turn and chase or move sideways. Has some effective carries but has absolutely no balance for a NRL player. 1 on 1 defender ok. But any decision to move off 1 player to another in defence becomes too hard because he is just too slow...now. Problem is who do we replace him with?

What about Burbo. He did ok when he came on last night.

 

[Bearfax]

I don’t mean to be rude but if you haven’t worked out that 13 is no longer an edge position in the modern game, and nothing like playing second row, this conversation is futile. It’s not a case of ‘some’ playing in the middle, literally all 17 teams play their lock smack bang in the middle of the field and have for years. It started with Gallen and 13 was an extra prop, then they started ball playing from that middle position to connect with the halves on either side.

If you mean Parker to 2nd row on an edge than that’s understandable but 13 is not an edge position anymore, hence my initial confusion with the idea you floated.

LC, I just gave you a couple of examples and you seemed to ignore what I suggested. Discussion is about concentrating on the issues, not putting down the debater because you dont agree. You've got an opinion, I've got an opinion. We discuss. We dont have to agree, in fact its better we dont because that adds to the worth of the discussion. Neither of us are totally right. We are only expressing opinions, perspectives. You dont like what I suggest, that's OK. But dont dismiss what I say just because it opposes your point of view. That's myopia.

 

[Bearfax]

What about Burbo. He did ok when he came on last night.

Burbo seems to me to be improving each opportunity he receives. I'd like to see him play most of a game and see what he offers. Centre or back rower, he seems to improve in both roles as he gets experience. I like that, like his brothers, he puts in, works hard.

 

[Disco]

In the modern game, locks are middles

In fact, lock, secondrow, prop are all pretty much redundant names

You have 3 middles and two edges. And you want one of your middles to have a bit of a pass on him.

 

[LeonardCohen]

LC, I just gave you a couple of examples and you seemed to ignore what I suggested. Discussion is about concentrating on the issues, not putting down the debater because you dont agree. You've got an opinion, I've got an opinion. We discuss. We dont have to agree, in fact its better we dont because that adds to the worth of the discussion. Neither of us are totally right. We are only expressing opinions, perspectives. You dont like what I suggest, that's OK. But dont dismiss what I say just because it opposes your point of view. That's myopia.

It’s not an opinion though. It’s a fact that 13 is a middle position on the NRL field at present, just as it’s a fact that wingers hug the sideline. Occasionally a winger will find themselves in field and take a run out of dummy half but it’s undisputed that their position is closest to the sideline. Just the same, it can be said that factually, all 17 NRL locks occupy a position in the very middle of the field; that’s not opinion, whether you claim it to be or not.

That may not have always been the case (centres used to play next to one another many moons ago) as the game has evolved, but certainly is the case right now. You are entitled to the opinion that Parker would be an effective lock, but if you are basing it on a false belief that the modern lock’s role is to run wide of the ruck, when they haven’t for many years, it’s not an overly constructive opinion.

 

[Bearfax]

Menzies never played in the middle, always played wide, he was a pioneer in this regard.

He may have played middle off the interchange in His last two years, but certainly not when cliffy was playing

No locks play wide at all and haven’t for 20 odd years

He wasnt exactly a pioneer, but he used the idea very successfully. Coote and McCarthy used to play wide all the time for example.

 

[Bearfax]

It’s not an opinion though. It’s a fact that 13 is a middle position on the NRL field at present, just as it’s a fact that wingers hug the sideline. Occasionally a winger will find themselves in field to take a run out of dummy half but it’s undisputed that their position is closest to the sideline. Just the same, it can be said that factually, all 17 NRL locks occupy a position in the very middle of the field; that’s not opinion, whether you want to claim it to be or not.

Therein lies the problem LC. 'Its a fact'. Based on whose opinion? Why does Olokau'atu play wide then. He scores several of his tries out near the centres, and he's obviously trained that way to use DCE's kicking and the 5/8s getting the ball out to him. Schuster as a second rower usually played outside Foran in attack in 2021. He might play closer in defense, but in attack he ranges wide often. Menzies did the same thing. And again you are expressing an opinion. There are no absolutes my friend, only perspectives and everyone of us has a different one.

 

[SeaEagleRock8]

He wasnt exactly a pioneer, but he used the idea very successfully. Coote and McCarthy used to play wide all the time for example.

How about Dally Messenger?